Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by places of public accommodation. The 2010 Standards require that newly constructed or altered swimming pools, wading pools, and spas have an accessible way for people with disabilities to enter and exit the pool. Examples of accessible means for entering and exiting a pool include sloped entries and pool lifts.
With regard to sloped entries, most facilities simply do not have enough space to incorporate a sloped entry into new construction, and the cost to add a sloped entry to an existing pool is not feasible. Although pool lifts can be more space and cost effective than sloped entries, existing pool lifts have a number of drawbacks. For example, existing pool lifts are typically deck mounted, which may clutter the pool deck. As another example, existing pool lifts are typically chair-based devices that require an individual in a wheelchair to transfer from the wheelchair to the lift chair prior to entering the pool. Existing pool lifts that are mounted in a pool and have a platform for lowering a wheelchair into the pool are currently hydraulically-powered. Existing hydraulically-powered pool lifts are larger and less powerful (i.e., lower weight capacity) than electrically-powered pool lifts.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.